Morning Brief: Thanks, but no thanks

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Liberals on the committee voted to quickly end a meeting that Conservative and NDP MPs had demanded in order to recall Jody Wilson-Raybould to fill in the holes of the story about what happened between her and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during the highly publicized SNC-Lavalin affair. Liberal MP Francis Drouin — who is not a regular member of the committee — moved to adjourn the meeting less than half an hour after it began.

NDP MP Tracey Ramsey, who sat in the place of Murray Rankin, argued on Wednesday that the committee should disregard the typical protocol of meeting privately to discuss future witnesses since it is in “uncharted territory” in its investigation of the SNC-Lavalin affair. As it stands, the committee will consider future witnesses at the next scheduled meeting on March 19, when all eyes will be on the tabling of the 2019 budget.

“We need to behave appropriately in a way that reflects that,” Ramsey told colleagues. After the meeting, she told reporters the Liberal MPs’ move was “outrageous.”

Reaction from the opposition was swift. Conservative MP Michael Cooper yelled that the Liberals were engaged in a “cover up,” while New Democrat Peter Julian called the move “disgusting.”

Meanwhile, Ford’s Ontario Health super agency is off to a roaring start. It held its inaugural meeting on Monday with no advance notice or invitation to the public, raising questions about transparency. More than 200 board members of 20 smaller agencies that are being swallowed up by Ontario Health were abruptly and quietly sacked last week.

British MPs will vote today on whether or not to delay Article 50. If the vote fails, the U.K. will leave the EU on March 29 either with the current deal or with no deal. If today’s vote passes, the BBC outlines several options on the table, ranging from a no-deal Brexit, to another vote of no confidence, to a referendum do-over. European Council President Donald Tusk said he will push for a long extension.

British Prime Minister Theresa May. (U.K. Government photo)

Prime Minister May can rest assured that Canada is committed to a “seamless” transition, namely cloning the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada, in force since 2017, as a bilateral add-on between Canada and Britain. Kevin Doughtery reports.

The United States Senate will also be holding an important vote today. Senators will vote on a proposal to terminate President Donald Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the southern border. The proposal is not expected to become law, however, as President Trump has been clear on his intentions to veto it.

Finally, one dad in New Jersey is having one heck of a birthday after his sons erected a billboard with his phone number, urging passers by to call and wish him a happy birthday. Once a picture of the billboard was posted online, the prank took on a life of its own.